| Summary: | 碩士 === 南華大學 === 生死學系碩士班 === 104 === This study established the relationship between cancer patients’ pain and demoralization and investigated the effects of the patients’ perceived meanings of the pain on their demoralization, to determine the changes in the patients’ psychological health associated with the meanings of pain and to improve their quality of life. A cross-sectional design was adopted. A single questionnaire (comprising three scales: the Brief Pain Inventory-Taiwan, Demoralization Scale-Mandarin Version, and Perceived Meanings of Cancer Pain Inventory)was administered to 60 oncological patients selected through purposive sampling, with 60 valid responses returned for a return rate of 100%. These data were examined through descriptive statistics, the Pearson product–moment correlation, and path analysis by using SPSS Version 18.0 to determine the correlations among pain characteristics, perceived meanings of cancer pain, and demoralization. Both direct and indirect effect paths were identified in these correlations, and the hypotheses for their interactions were interpreted to validate the model proposed in the study. The findings yielded the following conclusions:
1. The intensity of cancer patients’ pain has an indirect, rather than direct, effect on thedemoralization level.
2. Pain intensity effectively predicts pain interference.
3. Pain interference predicts the demoralization level.
4. Regarding patients’ perceived meanings of pain, greater pain interference is interpreted asloss, although this loss does not necessarily affect demoralization.
5. The meanings of pain (e.g., “challenge” or “threat”) mediate the demoralization level.
6. Changes in the meanings of pain because of pain intensity (whether highest or lowest) canbe found in patients with low levels of demoralization but not in those with high levels.
The findings also indicate that, although path analysis established the above correlations,its estimations are limited. Further research should use structural equation modeling to validate and modify the model proposed in this study.
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